Entries from December 2016

Some think that values are part of an individual’s unchanging core, the essence of who each one of us is. Indeed there may be some ‘hard-wiring’ involved in each of our personal set of values, and we may hold certain values very deeply and for a lifetime. However, just as humans can and do change as a result of experience and learning, values, too, are fundamentally changeable. Here is the key: once our values become conscious, they can be changed. They are subject to individual choice. Understanding how values operate in your life to drive your dreams, decisions, and actions will help you to make more conscious value choices in your life and work

We have said that many choices we make are impelled by factors of which we may be unaware. These factors, such as what we are taught as children, or the cultural frameworks we have been brought up in, contribute to creating values we may hold. Some we will be very aware of; others we may not be aware of as a driving force in our lives. Some values, such as those for example having to do with belonging to a group or recognition for our accomplishments, may have been in place so long that they operate below the level of consciousness, and we may not even realize they are working, and energizing—or de-energizing—to us. Being asked a simple question, for example if a boss takes the time to ask “How do you want to be rewarded?” can bring a value like recognition into conscious focus. Not only that, but we may also find in this conscious focus the opportunity to reflect on what recognition means to us (A cash reward? My name announced in a group meeting? My boss taking my spouse and me out to lunch and telling my spouse how much I contribute to the team?) When a value comes into conscious focus through choice, or through being called into awareness by circumstances, it is equally important that we take the time to understand exactly what that value means to us.

New values may be presented to us by necessity. Adults usually do not consciously seek skills without a reason for doing so. At times, we find ourselves in a situation where something other than what we hold as important comes to the fore. I may not have had to think as much about safety as other parts of my job responsibilities until I am appointed a safety team leader. I quickly find myself having to learn about aspects of workplace safety I never knew, and may come to deeply value safety while spending conscious time and energy understanding it thoroughly. It is not that I never valued safety, and perhaps it was one of the values already in place from childhood instruction; that is, internalized but not finding much place in my conscious awareness. But now it has become more highly prioritized. In my new role, I may additionally decide I need to more highly prioritize the value of informing others because I now recognize that well-presented information contributes to workplace safety. Life situations change, and we may find ourselves with a new value, or find ourselves more highly prioritizing a value as we seek to learn the skills associated with it.

We may be inspired by a life event or by another person to give conscious value to something we never thought about before. Adolescence and early adulthood are times when what we value may go through significant changes. Think, for example of how students often begin to hold very expansive and idealistic values as their understanding of the world begins to expand through education or a widening sphere of experience. These may continue to be values that are held for the rest of one’s life. Having a family calls for a re-prioritization of values, usually involving more attention to finances and to security, safety and health matters, matters that without a family we might not have valued as highly, or now value for very different reasons. Mid-life may present an opportunity to re-assess and to take on board different values than those that served previously. Entering the workforce, having a family, changing jobs, attaining to mid-life and empty-nesting or otherwise changing relationship status, and entering elderhood; all present natural life opportunities to take on different perspectives and to make different values choices.

At any of these times, we may find ourselves in situations in which factors come into play that may cause us to think and behave in ways that may not be in alignment with what we believe to be our values. We might feel anxious, or stressed, or somehow less comfortable than we have been accustomed to. These factors can be external or internal, conscious or unconscious, and we may find ourselves asking the question “Why am I doing this?” Such a question may lead to an examination of the values we hold and sometimes a conscious change in some of those values. Some people ask this question of themselves, as part of an internalized habit of healthy periodic introspection. But often life events that seem to be thrust upon us spur this introspection. At such times, what we value is likely to change.

Of course, there is no natural law that says values must be changed, or that one set of values is more or less correct than another. If we know some basics about how values operate and what our own values are, we can make the conscious choice to re-prioritize our values or to take on board different ones should we wish to do so. They are our values: it’s up to us.

“Success is not a mystery, it’s a system, a system that can be learned and replicated” This is Darrell Weekes’s mantra.

Now the words dynamic and high energy are not normally words you would associate with a boy from the bush. Straight forward, no fluff, tell it like it is are words that are more likely to be used to describe country folk. Well Darrell Weekes is both. A boy from the bush whose straight forward delivery style earns him praise whenever he speaks. Having presented at hundreds of conferences over the last four years, Darrell is an extremely experienced and professional presenter. To everyone who engages Darrell he makes one promise “when people make an investment to come and listen to me speak I promise to make that investment worthwhile”. Darrell leaves nothing in reserve, when he’s finished you’ll know he’s laid it all on the table.

Everything Darrell shares with his audience he has done. This is hands on experience delivered from the man who did it and experienced it. From creating successful businesses using his “Solution Driven Selling System” to earning bucket loads of referrals by delivering “Exceptional Service” Darrell has created and tested these systems and now he shares them with you.

As an example of how powerful Darrells’ systems are, when he started a small Mortgage Broking business in Canberra he produced ten times the average production for Australian brokers. In a roll out of just one of his business building systems with 40 small business owners the average increase in sales over the three months following the implementation was 73%.

Hugo Gonzalez possesses numerous years of experience as a key financial and operational executive for various corporations, from start-up ventures to Fortune 500 conglomerates.

Hugo’s expertise lies in the Strategy development and implementation, Financial and Operations; leading to areas of Brand Management, Business Development, Accounting Controls, Human Resources, Capital, and Turn-Around Management.

Hugo has founded numerous successful firms including a leading Regional CPA firm based in Irvine, California, a Small Business Capital Firm, Advisory and Strategy Firm, and recently, a Merger & Acquisition firm, located in Southern California.

Hugo has helped start-up and small businesses through the initial challenging years, from establishing a strong structure to their day-to-day operations, and finally to the long term strategic planning. Hugo is a serial entrepreneur who thrives on challenge and impact, builds strong relationships, is sensitive to interests of multiple stakeholders, is a people connector and promotes collaborative team-driven work environments.

Hugo serves in the board of various corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Including, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Institute, a not-for-profit organization that works in coordination with The Kaufman Foundations’ Global Entrepreneur Week and other related Start-up initiatives. Hugo is also an active member of various business, consulting and quality management organizations.

He is an active member of ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) a DOD NFP Organization based in Washington DC and serves other charitable and community based organizations.

Al has more than 25 years of extensive business experience as a senior financial executive and trusted advisor to CEOs and business owners of public and privately held companies. He has been the Chief Financial Officer for companies ranging from startup through to $300 million. Al's industry experience includes retail, hospitality, consumer products, manufacturing and distribution, consulting, and aerospace and defense. He has successfully applied innovative thinking and problem solving, strategic analysis and plan implementation. Al has been called a "realignment CFO" and a "pain reliever" because of his ability to quickly make an impact.

Al's experience as a CFO extends to virtually every aspect of a business's financial and operating needs. In addition to turn-arounds, building, rebuilding and managing financial teams of all sizes and complexity, he has also had direct management responsibility for HR, IT, Credit & Collections, Risk Management, Operations, Contracts, and Customer Service. The commonality has been his ability to work with his peers and mentor teams to achieve the company's goals. He believes, "If you are not serving the customer directly, you should be serving those that are."

Al has successfully managed companies through accelerated growth as well as through downturns. He has had key roles in 25 mergers, acquisitions and divestitures and was the lead in the last 10. He has completed numerous financings and recapitalizations including bank debt, private placements and IPOs. He has successfully developed and maintained financing relationships with banks, investors and other sources of funds.

Development and translation of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboards and understanding the underlying levers available to affect improvements

Business restructuring, turnarounds, and vendor relations

ERP/accounting software review, selection through to implementation

Bank and alternative financing

Human resources and risk management

Banking, CPA, attorney, and insurance relationships

Al brings passion and enthusiasm to his job and the companies he serves. He is a straightforward and detailed communicator who is equally effective with boards, investors, management, and staff. Honesty, integrity, and enjoyment are core values that have led to success throughout his career.

Peter Chang is the Founder and Executive Director of the Child Creativity Lab. Peter recently also served as an appointed member on the Orange County Child Care & Development Planning Council and a board member for the Orange County chapter of the California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC). Peter started his career working at a not-for-profit organization servicing the needs of HIV and AIDS patients and has over 10 years of experience in business, marketing strategy, and new product planning. He graduated with a BS degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California, an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Rochester, and an MPH in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Child Creativity Lab's mission is to foster the next generation of critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and leaders through hands-on creativity-enhancing exploration. Today’s children become tomorrow’s visionaries.

The Child Creativity Lab (CCL) offers educational programs that focus on creativity-enhancing stimulation and inspiration in alignment and in support of overarching California State Department of Education initiatives for pre-Kindergarten through 8th graders. These STEM-based programs are facilitated at the Child Creativity Lab Depot for Creative Reuse and directly on-site at schools, after-school programs, libraries, community events, faith-based organizations, and more via the Child Creativity Lab Museum-on-Wheels initiative.

Paul Lanigan is a communication expert. He entertains as he enlightens, combining colourful personal experiences to give you a fresh, unflinching perspective on the sales process. Paul’s unique brand of sales edu-tainment is generously spiced with humorous and relevant stories garnered during an eventful 17-year sales and sales management career.

Here, Paul shares his leadership skills, honed by his experience in both large and small technology organizations and as an entrepreneur. His specialty is showing you how to gain the respect and attention of the most demanding team members to gain a level of buy-in most never believed was possible.

An engineer by background, Paul Lanigan is now the CEO of Sandler Sales Institute; a company that helps executives develop sales strategies and tactics. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology from Staffordshire University and a BA in Management from Irish Management Institute.